Friday, March 7

Interview with Maria Olsen

credit: David Sobel

Several years ago, our January 2014 cover model, Derek Houck, met Maria Olsen in a production of Lend Me a Tenor; since then, she has become what he calls "a genuine force of nature in the world of horror." She grew up in South Africa; now she owns her own U.S. production company, MOnsterworks66, which is scheduled to release a half dozen films in 2014, and one in 2015.

For the past year, Maria's StarMeter Rating on IMDb.com (the Internet Movie Database) has fluctuated between the top seven and twenty thousand; that's among approximately seven million people, dead or alive, in the film and television industry, in the history of film and television, or in the top one to three tenths of one percent.

Maria is perhaps best known for playing the role of Mrs. Dodd/The Fury in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Chris Columbus, Director), which IMDb recognized as among its Top Five Hundred movies of all time. Maria is also known for her roles in Paranormal Activity 3 (Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, Directors), and Lords of Salem (Rob Zombie, Director), both of which movies IMDb recognized as among its Top Five Thousand movies of all time. She also appeared in "American Horror Story" (Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, Creators); Embers of the Sky; and Folklore (Justin Calen Chenn, Director). IMDb lists one hundred fifty titles on Maria Olsen's filmography, nineteen of which are scheduled to be released in 2014.

WMV: Derek Houck tells us you grew up in South Africa. When and where were you born?

Maria: July 22, 1966, in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

WMV: IMDb indicates that your production company is located in Winnetka, California. Where do you currently reside?

Maria: As luck would have it, I also currently reside in Winnetka, California! For those who don’t know – and that’s the overwhelming majority of people – Winnetka is one of the small cities in the westernmost half of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.

WMV: IMDb indicates that you are also known as Maria de Boer. Is that your maiden name?

Maria: Yes, that it is. It’s Dutch, and it means “the Farmer.” No, I’ve never lived on a farm in my life!

WMV: IMDb indicates that you are a direct descendant of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, who was perhaps the greatest artist in Dutch history. Trying to be objective about your (six times?) great grandfather's art, do you personally like his work?

Maria: There are actually eight generations between us, not six, and I’ve been told I’m the first girl in those eight generations, too, although that claim is a bit suspect! And, yes, I really enjoy his work – especially the grand scale and the detail! I’ve had the pleasure of viewing what is possibly his greatest work, "The Night Watch," at The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

WMV: I subtracted two great's, for your parents and grandparents.

What are your thoughts on Nelson Mandela?

Maria: My thoughts are that Madiba’s actions [Madiba is Mandela's clan name] after he was released from Robben Island averted a very bloody civil war in South Africa, and that he was a great and wise man. I’m proud to have lived in South Africa under his rule, and I think that many of today’s political leaders should take a leaf out of his book.

WMV: What, if anything, would you like to tell our readers about your other relatives, family, and friends?

Maria: I’m an only child. I think they totally broke the mold after they made me, and I grew up in a hotel, which meant I had a very isolated childhood. I learned how to communicate with adults rather than with children of my own age, and this social awkwardness in the company of my peers stays with me to this day. My mother passed in 2001, but my father is still alive and well, and shares that Winnetka house with me. I have cousins all over the world, though, from South Africa to New Zealand, and from The U.K. [United Kingdom] to The Netherlands!

WMV: IMDb lists you as Maria Olsen (I). What do you know about the other Maria Olsen's?

Maria: I do believe that, except for Maria Olsen (II), they’re all me! This sometimes happens on IMDb when someone adds you in a project and they create a new page for you instead of adding the credit to your existing page. I’m trying to get this sorted out, but it takes time. [William Mortensen Vaughan has already had IMDb merge Maria Olsen (III) with Maria Olsen (I), and add Sinnergy to Maria Olsen (I)'s filmography.]

WMV: Your IMDb bio indicates that you've received four awards, but none of your awards are listed on IMDb. What awards have you received?

Maria: For performing, I’ve won the 2009 Best Supporting Actress award at the South African HorrorFest, for my portrayal of Rose in Die-ner (Get It?), as well as an Ovation Award for Best Ensemble Cast for Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater’s The Masque of the Red Death. The other two are Artistic Director Achievement (A.D.A.) Awards for Best Revival Play: The Gin Game (I directed) and Best Stage Manager: Red, Hot and Cole.

WMV: Do you still own the collection of D.C. (Detective Comics) and Marvel comics that you bought in East London, South Africa, when you were growing up there, during the 'Seventies and 'Eighties?

Maria: Yes, I still own all of the comics except for the Classics Illustrated Junior series that I gave away (drat!!!), and that one box of D.C. comics that got “lost” (read: stolen) between South Africa and Los Angeles!

WMV: Is the 1313 Blood Lane podcast a recurring event?

Maria: Yes, it is. Although our filled-to-the-brim schedules sometimes get the better of us, we try to get an episode out there on the iTunes wires once every two weeks.

WMV: What have you knitted?

Maria: I’ve knitted numerous sweaters and the group of scarves that I like to call The Scary Scarves. Some of these scarves are scary – my Christmas Spider scarf, my Gacy scarf and my Cthulu scarf come to mind – and some are not, but all are colorful. A great many of them, and the sweaters, will be featured in my upcoming film, Trophy Heads, where my character has taken it into her head to wear mainly knitted garments!

WMV: Besides acting, producing movies, and knitting, what other talents and hobbies do you have?

Maria: When I have two seconds together, I like to read. I don’t read as much as I used to, and I greatly regret this. I also enjoy writing and photography, but, again, given my stupid-busy film and theater schedule, I don’t have a lot of spare time to indulge myself.

WMV: Your Facebook indicates you studied at the Clarendon School for Girls and the University of South Africa. What degrees and certificates have you earned?

Maria: I’ve earned two degrees and two certificates/diplomas over the centuries: first came my Diploma in Public Relations from the East London Technical College, and this was followed by my Degrees in English/Ancient History and Private Law, from The University of South Africa. My fourth qualification is a Diploma in Insolvency Practitioning (Bankruptcy Law), and I achieved the fourth highest score in the entire country for this one. Yes, I totally miss the days when I practiced as a Liquidator (Bankruptcy Trustee) for PricewaterhouseCoopers [www.PwC.com], but my life has taken a different turn, and I love what I’m doing now.

WMV: Your Facebook also indicates that you work in "teatro, cinema e TV," which means theater, film and television, in Portuguese. Facebook also indicates that you know Afrikaans and Latin. What foreign languages do you read, write, speak, and understand?

Maria: I read, write, and speak Afrikaans; we had to learn both English and Afrikaans at school in South Africa, and, given Afrikaans’s similarity to Dutch, I can also read and understand Dutch. I also had five years of Latin in high school, and I’ve retained a lot of basic knowledge of the language - enough, for instance, to allow me to translate the odd script into Latin and to give an authentic Latin accent whenever I perform in the language.

WMV: Facebook indicates that you've traveled to India. What did you do there?

WMV: Besides South Africa, and the U.S.A., what nations have you traveled to?

Maria: At last count, I believe I’ve visited twenty-six countries. I used to travel overseas quite extensively, and, apart from several countries in Africa, I’ve also toured both Eastern and Western Europe, and several Middle Eastern countries. I also spent time in Canada while shooting Percy Jackson, and I can’t wait to book more films out of the U.S.A. so that I can give my travel-bug a little more exercise!

WMV: What are your favorite travel destinations?

Maria: I adore Poland! I think my attraction to this country stems from its mix of fascinating history and courageous people, and I’d love to visit it again. I’d also like to spend some more time in the U.K. [United Kingdom], and, basically, visit every place on Earth that I haven’t yet been to.

WMV: Where, in particular, would you like to go, that you've never been before?

Maria: I’ve haven’t yet visited Scandinavia, which is where half of my mother’s side of the family comes from. I hear it’s absolutely gorgeous there, and I have a very special reason for wanting to visit Sweden.

WMV: The coolwatersprods.com link on your Facebook's About page is broken. What are "coolwatersprods"?

WMV: Facebook lists East London, Eastern Cape as your hometown; Eastern Cape is apparently a Province in the nation of South Africa. How many South African Provinces have you visited?

Maria: I do believe I’ve visited all of them, except maybe the Northwest.

WMV: Besides the fact that your hometown is located there, what distinguishes Eastern Cape, in your mind, from the other South African Provinces?

Maria: Among other things, the Eastern Cape is Nelson Mandela’s ancestral home, and I often used to drive by his estate on my way to Mthatha. My job as a trustee required me to travel around the Province on a regular basis, and so I got very used to visiting Grahamstown, King Williams Town, Bisho, and Stutterheim. The countryside ranges from beautiful beaches to majestic mountains to the instantly recognizable plains of African veldt, and, yes, although it can be dangerous to wander these roads by yourself, the scenery is stunning.

WMV: Your Facebook indicates that you have a sister named Maria. How confusing is that?

Maria: Maria Tavernaraki is actually not my sister. We’re just great friends, and she likes to call me Baby Sis while I call her Kid Sis. She’s the one responsible for making my Facebook fan page, and I will be forever grateful to her for that!

WMV: Dawna Lee Heising is one of your Facebook friends. She is also, according to IMDb's StarMeter Ratings, the biggest star in "Metropolitan Detective," directed by Marc Chicoine, whom we interviewed for our October 2013 issue. In an interview with SearchMyTrash.com, you credit her and Facebook for your upcoming title role of Haddie. How did you become acquainted with Dawna Lee Heising?

Maria: Dawna and I met one day on set for Hollywood Inc., a web-series produced by our mutual friend, Kari Nissena. We started chatting and, as I usually do, I added Dawna as a Facebook friend a few days later. We’ve kept quite closely in touch over the years since our random meeting, and she was the one who introduced me to Wain Bradley and Jimmy Jett Westmoreland, the Haddie production team.

WMV: You are also, apparently, friends with Graham Mackie, Senior, our cover model in January, 2013. How did you become acquainted with him?

Maria: I met Graham on the set of a short film we shot for Sarah Adina Smith of A Friend of A Friend Films: "Sirens." We were on location at the beautiful Zaca Lake – about an hour away from Santa Barbara – and, as the shoot was definitely an adventure because we had to cope with living in cabins on the lake, we all became fast friends. Sarah’s Sirens is absolutely beautiful, and I really hope she makes it into the planned feature!

WMV: With so many of your movies (and movies you appear in) scheduled for release this year and next, which projects are you most focused on now?

Maria: At the moment, I’m shooting Trophy Heads for Full Moon Features, which is helmed by the extremely prolific filmmaker, Charles Band. We should be wrapped by the end of February, though, and then it’s on to shooting pickups for both Bert Havird’s Reunion and Mark Pierce’s Moon Creek Cemetery, so that both of these projects can move into the post-production phase. Haddie should shoot in Arkansas in May and June, and then it's immediately back to Los Angeles to shoot Agoraphobia, brainchild of the awesome ladies, Lou Simon and Tara Cardinal.

WMV: Sometimes the name of your production company MOnsterworks66 is spelled with a capital "MO." Why is that?

Maria: MOnsterworks66 should always be spelled with a capital MO (Maria Olsen), but sometimes people get it wrong.

WMV: Why does the name of your production company (as well as your Facebook address) end in "66"? Is it because 'Sixty-Six is the year of your birth?

Maria: Yes! You’re the first person to guess that it’s the year of my birth!

WMV: You are also playing the role of a dominatrix in Happy Endings. Are you still hitting yourself in the face with your bullwhip?

Maria: I actually haven’t started yet, but I’m sure I will soon! Yeah, set’s going to be a very dangerous place if I’m allowed to play with a bullwhip unsupervised.

WMV: What other weapons are you familiar with?

Maria: I own a hunting bow, but I’ve never had the opportunity to practice with it. I LOVED playing with my kid-version bow ‘n' arrow sets when I was younger, though, but I’m too double jointed to pursue the sport seriously (think elbow that bends backwards and gets rope burns from whizzing bowstring!)

WMV: Where do you stand on gun control?

Maria: I would like to see all guns removed from society. As this will never happen, I’d settle for MUCH stricter rules in place governing when, where, and how guns can be bought, and who can buy them.

WMV: You acted in an Underground Theater production of The Tell-Tale Heart. Are you a fan of Edgar Allan Poe?

Maria: It was actually Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater’s production of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Bells, two of Poe’s most wonderful works. I’ve performed the piece in both Los Angeles and New York – Off-Broadway – and it’s a stunning bit of theater. I love the works of Poe, and I’ve read all of his stories numerous times. I’m not a fan of poetry, as a rule, so you’ll have to tie me down if you want to get me to read his poems! Quoth the raven: Nevermore!

WMV: You think you irritate your agent and manager by avoiding roles for younger women. Who are your manager and agent, and how difficult was it to obtain their representation?

Maria: My manager is Ileane Rusch of Committed Artists Management, and my agents are Howard Talent West (Bonnie Howard for Theatrical and Lyn Eriks for Commercial) and Synergy Talent ...for Voice Over. I was extremely lucky in that I found representation so quickly; I hear this isn’t an easy thing to do, and I think I sent out only three requests for representation, and had actually stopped sending out requests by the time Bonnie contacted me – totally out of the blue – and told me she was looking to open a character talent division.

WMV: Do you feel Hollywood is unduly age-ist?

Maria: I don’t think Hollywood is age-ist. I think it is profit driven – it IS a business after all – and that it will therefore naturally move towards including those elements in a film that sell tickets and removing those that don’t. In our somewhat shallow and appearance-driven society, youth and beauty will sell more tickets than age and experience, which leads to older actors – especially older female actors – not being written in as leading or large supporting roles.

WMV: What other prejudices and preferences, if any, have you observed in Hollywood?

Maria: Maybe I just don’t run in the right circles, or maybe I see things from the business angle, but I don’t really see prejudices. Yes, preference is often given to the “young, white male” stereotype in almost every branch of the industry, but this is due to a – skewed, I know – perception that they are what is most needed to get the job done and to get the profit margins up. The prejudice that nearly everyone who is not a “young, white male” experiences is just the flip-side of this preference. Also, I’m talking studio here, not indie so much, as, at the studio level, it is often (if not always) only a numbers game.

WMV: You say you just can't connect with The Shining. Has this created a controversy, as far as you know?

Maria: Nope, I don’t think anyone cared that I could never get into [Stanley] Kubrick’s gigantic effort at being scary!

WMV: You say you like cats. Are there any cats in particular you are fond of, such as Garfield, or the Aristocats?

Maria: I adore Garfield, and also Don Marquis’ Mehitabel! I also love all real live cats, and, if I had the money, I’d open a huge cat shelter!

WMV: Does your fondness for cats extend to bigger cats, such as Winnie the Pooh's friend Tigger, the Lion King, Tigress in Kung Fu Panda, and the Pink Panther?

Maria: Although a Tigger is most definitely a wonderful thing, I’ve never had the fondness for The Lion King that others have had (perhaps it’s because “exotic” Africa is old hat to me!) nor have I loved Kung Fu Panda (not a big J.B. [Jack Black] fan, I’m afraid). I do enjoy The Pink Panther, though, and I’d love to revisit the movies some time.

WMV: You are involved with at least one web series: "Our Zombie Mother." Do you think web series get the respect they deserve, or do you think they get too much respect, since they are "just" web series?

Maria: I think that, in my own mind, web-series don’t get the respect they deserve, and, to me, they’re always second cousin to T.V. series. Perhaps, however, that comes from not being able to watch them and, possibly, appreciate them; my schedule is always SO full that watching anything gets very low priority on the To Do list!

WMV: You're also involved with "an actuality series" entitled "OZMNewZ." What is "an actuality series", and what does "OZM" stand for?

Maria: O.Z.M. stands for Our Zombie Mother, and O.Z.M. News is a spin-off series from the main web-series. I like to call it a zombie actuality show because we deal with real-world zombie topics like how to prepare for the coming invasion, how zombies can best be put to work, and sightings of real zombies (and other monsters!).

WMV: As a producer and production company owner, how many people do you employ?

Maria: At the moment, it’s just me!

WMV: How is ObamaCare affecting your business?

Maria: At the moment, it’s not affecting it at all.

WMV: Where do you stand on minimum wage laws?

Maria: I would love for them to be increased across the board so that people who actually work full time for minimum wage could actually make an acceptable living.

WMV: You have a role in The Scarlet Samurai: Incarnation. Are you a fencer or swordswoman?

Maria: Neither! I’m a mom! I play mother to twin daughters, Ikari and Feng, both played by the awesome Tara Cardinal. Hopefully, though, my character will see a little more action in the sequel (hint, hint, Tara!).

WMV: Is Cockroaches as much about people as insects?

Maria: Cockroaches is, in fact, completely about people. It’s Way Down in Chinatown that is (partially) not about people; it’s about worms.

WMV: You say that you "guess what got [you] into acting... was wanting to be like the great ladies [you] saw on-screen: Jane Fonda, Sigourney Weaver, Kathleen Turner, Jodie Foster..." What precisely do you consider "great" about these women?

Maria: I guess that, even at a relatively young age, I could recognize great work when I saw it. These ladies played so many different characters, and played them so well, that I couldn’t help but look up to them. And they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so here I am in Hollywood.

WMV: Have you or any member of your family served in the military of any nation?

Maria: I most certainly haven’t, and, to be honest, I don’t remember hearing about any relative who served, either.

WMV: You say that you did not pursue an education in acting beyond your drama classes in high school. Did you ever find it difficult to get work in the entertainment industry due to a lack of education, and, if so, how did you overcome this prejudice?

Maria: No, I never once found it difficult to work because I hadn’t formally studied acting, theater, or film. The audition room is a great leveler, and there are those with no training who can cope with it infinitely better than those with degrees behind their name.

WMV: To you, what, if any, are the most significant differences between being "creepy" and being a "creep"?

Maria: To me, “creepy” has depths – unknown levels of depravity – that “creep” doesn’t have. It’s quite possible to be creepy without being a creep (although creeps CAN be creepy!).

WMV: You worked for accountants for twenty years, and also have experience as a bankruptcy trustee. If you were the President, and you could have your way, what would you do to solve the U.S.A.'s economic problems, as well as the world's?

Maria: Well! We’ve seen that communism doesn’t work, and we are, I think, well on our way to seeing that capitalism doesn’t work – and I put before you the U.S.A.’s current Giant Corporation vs. Small Every Man conundrum to prove this point – so I’m thinking that the best solution would be a combination of the two. I also believe that our present-day society is hugely over-regulated and that much simpler, and cheaper, systems could be put into place if we took a collective breath, figured out what was really wrong and re-engineered everything. Unfortunately, given our excess of "me-ness" and our stubborn habit of looking inward instead of outward – mostly ego-based, I might add – I really don’t think that such a re-engineering will ever happen.

WMV: You were the Director of Finance for at least three episodes of a series entitled "Hollywood Wasteland." Do you consider Hollywood to be a financial wasteland, and, if so, how would you turn it back into "a land of milk and honey," so to speak?

Maria: Not quite: I PLAYED a Director of Finance in the "Hollywood Wasteland" web-series - a touch different, I think, from actually being one. No, I don’t think Hollywood is a financial wasteland, although I do sometimes wonder at the HUGE sums being spent on seemingly inane tent poles. I do think, though, that unless corporate America totally re-engineers itself and turns away from a profit-based, capitalistic, approach, the studios are never going to move away from following the money. And this is, after all, what they presently should be doing: they ARE corporations, and, in our society, the cardinal corporate rule is “make a profit or die trying.” Film as “Art,” though, seems to be the sole bailiwick of the indie players, and, as their stakes are not quite as high as those of the studios, they can at least contemplate sacrificing profit-share for art-value.

WMV: Your Facebook indicates that your religious and political views are "NONE." Is that to avoid being treated with prejudice in the entertainment industry?

Maria: No, it’s because I think that religion and politics are places where, if you try to force your views upon others, the whole exercise will turn into a gigantic waste of time and energy. You are entitled to your beliefs, just as I am to mine, and I really don’t have the right to try and force you to think what I think or believe what I believe. I think that the best rule to live by is to be kind and compassionate to everyone. Perhaps the Wiccans get it right when they say ”do what you will; harm none.”

WMV: Who, if anyone, do you feel is discriminated against or given preferential treatment in Hollywood?

Maria: I do believe I covered this in one of my earlier answers.

WMV: Ah, yes, the young and attractive - especially white men - are "in"; the old and unattractive - especially women - are "out"!

What are the titles of your first book and the first published short story?

Maria: My first published story is entitled "Serpent’s Light." I’m still trying to figure out a title for the first book I’ll publish. It should be my dream journal that’s published first, but the title California Dreaming just wasn’t acceptable for some reason.

WMV: You've said that "it is believed" that you were "almost kidnapped by aliens when [you were] a kid." Who believes that, and why?

Maria: I believe it, and my mother used to believe it too. The U.F.O. [Unidentified Flying Object] that I saw kept moving lower and lower in the sky and, I think, would have landed, and its inhabitants would have done who-knows-what had my mother not joined me in the garden at the precise moment she did. When she came out, it stopped descending and flew off at speed!

WMV: You say you like licorice. Do you also drink absinthe?

Maria: I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting absinthe, and neither have I seen any little green fairies - yet.

WMV: What are your favorite foods and beverages?

Maria: These change over time but, at the moment, it’s crackers with cheese and sausage, washed down with flavored water.

WMV: You've mentioned having difficulty deciphering dates such as 05-03-06, because you were raised writing the day before the month. Are you also proficient at using twenty-four-hour clocks and military styles of representing time?

Maria: Although I could use a twenty-four-hour clock if pressed, I wouldn’t recognize the military style of representing time if it hit me over the head with an AK-47!

WMV: You say you can no longer watch cricket on television, since you moved to the U.S.A. Have you started watching other sports, such as baseball, football, or basketball?

Maria: As I don’t have a television set, I find it extremely difficult to watch anything at all. I stream Netflix on my laptop every so often, but the sound is almost never in sync, so I get frustrated and stop!

WMV: You apparently attribute your success to having "a unique and interesting look and a flair for self-marketing." Besides yourself, who are some actors you think look "unique and interesting"?

Maria: I would think failures to self-market include (1) not sharing your work with your contacts, friends and fans (NOT posting your IMDB or Facebook page link every two seconds but rather sharing things like trailers, and articles about the projects you’re involved with, so that EVERYone benefits from it), and (2) not maintaining a healthy and professional presence on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

WMV: When considering applications to work as cast and crew in your films, how much weight do you give to their StarMeter Ratings on IMDb.com, and whether or not they have a Pro.IMDb.com account?

Maria: No, I don’t check people’s StarMeter Ratings as so many times these days you’ll find people with no credits and no experience having a high ranking as they’ve used some website that artificially boosts their rating. I will check out people’s credits as listed on IMdB, but not often, as I will normally choose to audition – or to cast – on the basis of head shot, resumé, reel, audition performance, and presence in the room.

I have no idea of who has or doesn’t have an IMDbPro account, and I have no way of finding out. To me, whether someone has one or not doesn’t impact in the slightest on the casting process. IMDbPro accounts are, to me, a way of researching the industry and not a way to self-promote.

WMV: Perhaps the first clue that someone has an IMDbPro account is if they have a thumbnail instead of a standard, gray silhouette by their name on IMDb. Other clues are if they have "Demo Reels," and/or "Additional Credits (submitted by page owner via IMDb Resume)" below their IMDb filmography. A Pro account is required to upload pics (up to one hundred), demo reels (up to five), and additional credits to IMDb. A Pro account's thumbnail/avatar is derived from the pic the account holder designates as primary.

Yet another clue is a vanity U.R.L. [Uniform Resource Locator], such as www.imdb.me/jimmy, instead of www.imdb.com/name/[large number], although, once loaded, vanity U.R.L.'s become the latter.

A note to actors, though: Just friend me on Facebook and watch my MOnsterworks66 page or the casting websites until I do[...]; then submit as directed. Please don’t just send me your head shots or reel, as I simply don’t know what to do with them. Yes, I might watch a reel today – which I almost NEVER do – but I might only cast a role you’re right for in two years’ time, by which time I would totally have forgotten your reel and wasted the time I originally spent watching it.

A note to writers too: Feel free to send me short treatments/synopses whenever you like; do NOT, however, send me scripts until I ask for them.

WMV: Have you ever seen any of the Leprechaun horror movies?

Maria: Nope, I haven’t yet had the pleasure!

WMV: How do you intend to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day this year?

Maria: By working and wishing I was at the pub, drinking some green beer!